Charlotte Midnight
by Yone
Summary: A girl with an affinity for animals, and a boy who IS an animal...?
1. Preface

**Preface**

I looked in the mirror for the first time ever. Or so it seemed. The new Mark stood out against my pale skin so much, I was glad my bangs half-covered it. I coughed. Looking at my hand, I saw there was blood. 'Crap,' I thought. I grabbed my suitcase. My aunt would be glad to find the note I left. She never wanted me here anyway.

Ever since I was little, my parents wanted me to model. I'm tall, curvy, and my long, straight, jet-black hair goes down to my waist. My eyes are a deep violet, my favorite part about me. I've never had much self-confidence, so when people told me I was pretty or beautiful, I ignored them. My skin is as pale as snow. My dad used to call me Snow White. So I finally took a modeling job. My parents got in a car crash on the way to the show and died.

I've never really adjusted to their death, which was three years ago. I'm 16 now. They would've loved to throw a birthday party for me, on my 16th birthday. My aunt didn't throw me one at all. She hates me. Always telling me I have my mother's wide, almond-shaped, slanty eyes. I suppose I remind her of her little sister too much.

So that's why, when I was Marked, I went directly home to pack my things. I left the house. I've saved up money since I was 14, and modeled a few times, to save up for a car. It's a mazda 3, black in color (I got it for $17,000. I technically owe them $5,000 still, but they said it didn't matter. I knew them personally, so they let me off easy). I drove for what seemed like hours to where I'd have to be.

The House of Night.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I leaned over to give Adonis another carrot. Lenobia was surprised we got along so well; Adonis didn't like anybody. Except me. I kind of cheated though. It's not like I make animals like me, they just do.

_I want a sugar cube._

I sighed, handing Adonis a sugar cube. In my first week at the House of Night, I'd discovered a wonderful thing. I had an affinity for animals. At first it was emotions, but now I can actually hear them talk. Adonis was the first voice I heard. I practiced with him. He's a black and white colt, more black than white. And yes, colt, almost a stallion. He's a rogue, so no one can go near him and change that. He's a bit shaggy. He's rude and selfish, and I love him immensely. Lenobia pretty much gave him to me, since he kicks most other people. I pet his nose.

"I spoil you immensely." I said, then gave him another sugar cube. It was past 1 pm, and I knew I should get to bed, but I just couldn't. It was such a lonely room. I want to build a stable in it and keep Adonis there. Of course, he wouldn't mind if I gave him treats and let him run around, but I would feel bad for keeping him away from other horses.

_Sometimes it's good to spoil animals._

This made me laugh.

"No, you'll just get fat and then you won't be able to run around. I'll have to carry you places, and you know I'm not that strong."

He snorted, and demanded another sugar cube. I gave him an apple instead.

I've been at the House of Night for a month and two weeks. I have my own room. The downside is that I don't have any friends. I've never been good at making friends. But I have the animals. I've been meaning to try speaking to bugs, but I keep forgetting. They're the only things I have yet to speak to. The cats all love me. Second to their owner though, of course. I've yet to get my own cat. I'd like to have another person sleeping in the room. Lost in thought, Adonis's voice surprised me.

_Footsteps._

He was right, I could hear them too. I got behind Adonis, still brushing him, but no one would be able to see me right away. The footsteps got louder and louder, then stopped. I peered over Adonis's back. A boy stood in the middle of the room, his back was to her. She didn't see much of him, except for he was wearing black jeans, black shoes, and a black shirt. He had black hair, that ended at the base of his neck. Intrigued, she stepped forward. The rustle of hay made him turn. She was breathless. His hair framed his face, in the front it ended on his jawline. His face could only be described as perfect. His shirts was long-sleeved, and button-down, but he left the first couple unbuttoned. She did notice that he didn't wear the school uniform. But she noticed the crescent moon on his forehead. And his red eyes. Blood red eyes. They were truly enchanting. She stared into them, almost entranced. She was wondering what effect it had on humans.

"And who are you?"

He spoke. It was a wonderful voice. Not too deep, and soft like silk. She swallowed, then stepped out from behind Adonis. He was definitely beautiful, but she didn't look for beauty in looks. In other words, she wasn't going to treat him specially because he was hot.

"A fledgling." She said cautiously.

He laughed. Her heart beat a little faster.

"That's not exactly the answer I was looking for, but it works."

"Who are you?"

"A fledgling."

"But not a student."

"No."

_He's one of us._

Charlotte jumped at Adonis's voice. Then what he said registered. Charlotte learned that when animals said 'we' or 'us' they usually meant animals in general. Most animals referred to her as one of them in a fond way, like friends might refer to each other as family. A little more connected or deep than family, but that's mostly what it was like. So he had to be special in some way.

"Do you have any affinities? You know, an element, healing powers, I don't know, animals?"

He smiled.

"Shadows."

"Shadows?" I asked. I'd never heard of such a thing.

"Yeah. It has it's good points. Good for being a thief."

"And are you a thief?" I still didn't think he was bad.

"Yea. You know, rogue, thief, the works. And some others."

"Anything to do with animals?"

"Cats."

"Oh!" She wasn't expecting to get a straight answer. And then he stepped out of the shadows.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

At first I was amazed. Why didn't I notice this before? The boy in front of me, who two seconds looked completely normal, steps into the direct light and has cat ears. And a tail. I need to wake up! My facial expression must have shown my anger and confusion, because he explained.

"It turns out that cats are deeply connected to shadows. So I can turn into one. And I permanently have ears and tail. When I first got here, I didn't want people to freak out, and I wished I could avoid going here. So I found out I could turn into a cat. I still attend the classes and stay near the vamps, but as a cat."

I was still confused. He continued.

"Since I have an affinity for shadows, I can appear however I want in them. It takes up a lot of energy though, so I usually only hide my ears and tail. They're already black, so it's easy to trick eyes and not use up energy."

Finally I found my voice.

"Why are you telling me?"

He smiled, a crooked, shy smile. I was starting to really like that smile.

"The animals were telling me things. The cats, the birds, the lizards, the horses, they all spoke of a human who could speak to them. I found you, and I've been wanting to talk to you, but I never had a chance. Until now."

"How did you know it was me? There are at least a hundred kids who go here."

"An animal could have told me. Did you think of that?"

I blushed. I should have thought of that. He continued.

"But they didn't. You have an affinity for animals. So animals are naturally drawn to you. There's a feeling we have. It's incredible. Like being drawn to your favorite person in the world, only you haven't met them yet. I already know all about you, from the other animals. So I could've found you using them. But scoping you out seemed more fun."

"But why did you need to find me so much?"

"I'm..."

_He's becoming us._

"Wait. Adonis, didn't you already say he was one of us?"

_He is one of us when he is a beast. Right now, he is human. He can't even hear me right now. Silly humans. They don't listen. _Adonis snorted.

"Don't use that tone. _I'm_ human, remember?"

_But you're not like them! You listen. He must become a beast to listen._

"Not just any beast, a cat."

_No, any beast, Aiko._

I knew he wanted me to consider what he'd just said when he called me Aiko. My old nickname, given to me by my mother (who was part japanese, I'm pretty sure), was Aiko. She said it meant beloved daughter. I made it my middle name at the House of Night, but I didn't tell most people. Charlotte Aiko Midnight, is my full name. Adonis only said Aiko when he really wanted me to consider something, so I thought carefully. Then I gasped. Out loud, which was kind of embarrassing.

"Then--he can be more than just a--" I stopped, noticing he was looking at me. But Adonis continued.

_Yes. But not now. He's just a fledgling. You too, might be able to become one of us physically when you are fully fledged. Maybe. But he definitely will. Now give me another sugar cube._

I couldn't help laughing at this comment. I gave him one and pet him.

"I can't hear him. Is it wonderful, to hear their voices?" The boy asked.

I slowly nodded.

"I'm Charlotte, by the way. Charlotte Midnight."

"I know. I'm Roren Mae."

I giggled at the name.

_Think._

Adonis's voice reminded me of what he said before.

"You're turning into us?" I asked. His facial expression changed immediately.

"The more I'm a cat, the more my cat instincts surface. I already land on my feet. The more and more I turn into a cat, the more I give into the beast side of me. But if I had someone to talk to..." He looked at her while he trailed off.

"Why can't you just be someone else's??"

"Because it won't work unless you understand me."

"Roren..." I sighed, and closed my eyes, thinking. I opened them.

He was gone.


	4. Chapter 3

"Eh?" I said, confused.

_Below you._

That was Roren's voice. I looked down. There was a cat there, all black, with blood red eyes.

_The more I'm a cat, the less I'm human._

"So, if you give in to your instincts, you won't be able to turn back someday."

He nodded. I really didn't want to have him in my room, but I didn't want him to be a cat forever...

_Too late. I choose you, Charlotte Aiko Midnight, as my human._

I am positive mot people don't feel the binding power that ties a cat and vamp (or fledgling) together. But of course I did. It was weird. It was like there was a fire flowing through me, but it didn't hurt. It was warm, and comforting. The feeling that is mutual between a cat and their human. The feeling to protect them. It was stronger, I'm sure, with me, because of my affinity (sometimes this gift sucks, you know?).

"Do all cats announce it like that?" I felt the need to ask.

"Yes. It's an official business."

I jumped at the sound of his voice that wasn't in my head, or a meow. He laughed, I blushed.

"You have to be a cat most of the day, you know."

"I know. It's not different than before. Except that you will keep my humanity intact. You'd be amazed at how important that is. You don't know what you have until it's gone. That's especially true in my case."

"Listen. No getting me into trouble. Got it? I have enough friends at it is." I said the last part very sarcastically.

"Yes, all of your friends. I already know about them."

"Oh, do you?"

"The animals. They wanted me to be your friend you know. They're worried about you."

"Yes. They're wonderful aren't they?"

"You should tell people about your affinity."

I was speechless. I had absolutely nothing to say.

"It would make life easier for you if people knew."

"If I tell..."

My voice was soft, and whispery. I swallowed.

"If I tell people about my affinity, do you know how many people will be my friend just because of that?"

By now my voice was stronger, and I spoke louder.

"Do you know how many people will come up to me and ask, 'What does my pet want to eat?', 'What does my pet think of me?', 'What did my pet do last night?' I don't want to hear that crap, so I won't hear that crap. I don't want fake friends!"

I said the last part much louder than I intended. It was nearly a scream. Actually, it pretty much WAS a scream. Adonis neighed loudly, and stood on his back legs to kick out with his front hooves at Roren.

Roren, luckily, ducked. '

"Look, I'm just saying that it might be better for you to tell people about your affinity. I've heard a lot of people who think you're a freak for talking only to animals all the time, for never trying to make a friend."

He spoke in such a gentle tone... I blushed and looked away. He laughed, even more gently than he spoke. I didn't like him yet, but I was starting to. And I mean _like_ him. I didn't want to be in the middle of that though. Suddenly I was feeling tired. I yawned. I gave Adonis another sugar cube.

"You've been a very good boy today." I praised.

"Don't I get a sugar cube?" Roren teased. I grabbed him by the ear and began to drag him out of the stables.

"Bye, Adonis, see you tomorrow." I said. Then I walked back to my dorm, dragging Roren with me.


	5. Chapter 4

When I woke up the next morning, I felt like dreams and reality had merged. Like, I could see my hand moving through the air, but it felt like I was moving through water. It was very confusing. Of course, after a dream like that, morning would be confusing. I looked at the clock. 6:43 pm. Too early. But a hot shower would probably help the way I was thinking, so I jumped in. Not literally, of course. The hot water massaged my back, and the steam woke me up. I felt better. 'I'll see Adonis before breakfast.' I got out, got dressed, got ready. Feeling refreshed, I was just about to leave. When I saw a black cat sleeping at the foot of the bed.

I inwardly screamed. I'm not too proud to say it, but I actually had to sit down to breathe evenly. It wasn't a dream… I knew something was off. When I was done facing reality, I moved toward the door, quickly, trying to get out as fast as I could. I opened the door.

_You're leaving me? _

I jumped. He was awake. "Roren…" I said.

_Yes?_

"Stay here."

_Why? _He was whining now, a pouting tone in his voice.

"You just have to." I quickly shut the door. I sighed. I would never get used to these things. Having a cat… Well, I'd always wanted a cat. But Roren wasn't a cat… He was a person. A pretty good looking one too. Not that I wanted to go out with a cat-boy anyway. My traitorous mind. Or maybe that would be my heart…? Ugh! I used to think of important things in the morning. Now I'm thinking of boys. Well, a boy.

_Deep in thought?_

"Ahh!" I jumped. His purr echoed, I swear.

"I locked you in."

_Windows are my specialty, love. Get used to it. _

The way he said love was so sarcastic, I would've tasted it if my heart wasn't still beating from the surprise of his appearance. 'Never, will I get used to, well, this!' I walked, or ran, take your pick, to the stables. Adonis greeted me warmly. I pet him, a wave of affection for him pouring over me. He was so sweet I could barely stand it. If Adonis was a cat, he would've been mine. I told Adonis of the events that had happened already, so much, too early.

_Why not try out the limits of your affinity? _He suggested. It immediately sparked my interest.

"Explain, my dear friend."

_Animals like you. _He ate another carrot. _Maybe you can twist this to your advantage. If you think of him loving your words, obeying them, he will. _

"But what if he doesn't? I'll feel like an idiot."

_It will work. You've done it to me before. Accidentally, but it still worked. _I thought about it, and smiled.

"Thanks for the diabolical plan. I'll practice with other animals and tell you how that works out. But what if he's human?"

_Trust me. And give me food._

I smiled and, seeing the time, left for my first class. I had music. I'm an amazing violin player, and I know it. In my spare time, I practiced Adonis's plan on the birds. I asked permission first, of course. It was test day, so all I really had to do was play when it was my turn. Next I had fencing. I'm pretty good at fencing too. Another test. I sparred with some guy named Harold. I beat him, easy. Then I sparred with Dragon. That didn't go so well. I'm pretty sure I gave a good fight though. After that was my favorite: Equestrian Studies. I talked to Adonis the whole time, laughing and joking with him, I barely cleaned the stall. Then I had lunch. To my surprise, they let us eat outside today. Winter was coming, and the nights would be cold soon. I sat on a hill, after getting my food, and realized someone else was there. I turned around, thinking immediately it was Roren. But no, it was a cat. A new face. I welcomed the calico.

"Hello, friend."

_You are the fledgling with the affinity for animals, then. I can tell._

"Yes. It's easy to hide it from people. Animals not so much. Not even the fish."

_You speak to the aquatics?_

"Yes. They aren't as intriguing as the mammals though."

_What is your name, Sister? _I smiled. Sister was a common name for me nowadays, a nice one too. It was a name of acceptance, used for animals who hadn't told other animals their names yet.

"I'm Charlotte Midnight."

_Midnight. How lovely. Tied with cats, are you?_

"No, please call me Charlotte. Midnight was my friend's name, so I changed my last name. I fear it has nothing to do with my fate of being tied to animals."

_Charlotte. I am Liana. My human just named me. _

"Who is your chosen human? I'd love to meet them."

_There._ Liana pointed with her tail to a girl who Charlotte hadn't seen before. She had brown hair, and looked fairly short. She was wearing a short brown skirt skirt and short sleeved black shirt. She looked worried, scanning the area. Her eyes stopped at Liana, and she ran over to where Charlotte was sitting.

"Liana!" She exclaimed, "Why did you leave? I've been so scared that you wouldn't come back." She picked the calico up.

_Why wouldn't I come back? That's silly. It's obvious you just worry too much. I was simply curious of our sister, Charlotte._

"Don't be mad at her. I was about to give her a treat, and I think she was curious as to what it was." I pulled out a cat treat from my pocket. I always kept them there, just in case.

"Oh." The girl looked apologetically at her cat. "Sorry Liana. You can give her the treat if you want." I gave Liana the treat.

"I'm Lenora." I looked up at her. I didn't have people friends, so I looked at her in shock for a moment. Then I remembered to respond.

"I'm Charlotte."

"It was nice meeting you. I hope to see you around, Charlotte. It's my first day, so I hope I just made a friend." She smiled, and walked away. I smiled too.

After lunch, I had literature. An amazing class for me, I love to read. It went by quickly. Then I had a poetry class. I loved that one too. And when I walked into vampire sociology after that, I saw Lenora. Liana was there too. She smiled at me, but was mostly whispering to her other friends. I couldn't believe she was new and already had so many friends. I guess you either excel in school or out of it. I was definitely excelling in it. No wonder I had no friends. She beckoned to me. I walked over.

"Hey, did you see the new kid?"

"Huh?" I had no clue what she was talking about.

"A gorgeous guy was walking through the halls. No one had seen him before, but her was Marked, and it wasn't filled in. A super-sexy new guy, and I want to be the one to show him around! He told me he had this class. Ohmygosh, I just can't believe it!" She squealed, then looked at the door. So did I.

And I was incredibly mad at who was there.

I never would have guessed. I couldn't believe it. Roren was standing there. I wasn't even that mad about that. It was that... Either Roren had a twin, or he got off campus and died his hair. Dark blue. And the way he looked at me, it was Roren. And he sat next to me. And I was suddenly in a tornado of lies.


	6. Extra Chapter

**Author's Note: Originally, Charlotte and Roren were going to have a conversation about colors, leading him to dying his hair blue. I rushed his hair dying, but I still love their conversation so I'll put it on here. This was supposed to happen much further on in the story, hence the familiarity. I hope you enjoy it.**

**KUBOZUKA Kairi**

I watched Roren as he thought at the table, the small new one that Roren said has character. I wondered what he was thinking of. Before I could ask him, he said:

"What is your favorite color?" I guess I looked confused.

"What's your favorite color?" He repeated.

"Hmmm..." I thought about it, but only came up with the top five.

"I can't really narrow it down," I said, "There are too many colors." But at the same time I came up with the answer black. I mean, you don't have to be goth to like the color black.

"Fine. Favorite col_ors_." He amended, stressing the plural.

"Black, red, purple, blue." I said it immediately, then added, "Green and anything in between black and white. And I like-" I stopped, realizing he'd gone back to thinking and wasn't listening anymore. I saw his lips moving and listened.

"-ue," He muttered, "A nice dark blue would be perfect."

"For what?" I asked, a bit suspiciously.

"You'll see. I promise." He smiled.

I shivered.


	7. Chapter 5

Roren, sitting next to me, just smirked. I didn't even know him very well, but I knew that sort of smirk. It was the, 'I know I'm bringing you trouble but I'm just going to laugh about it,' smirk. And he did bring me trouble. Roren, being the popular person he'd become— Mysterious, hot, and kind-hearted, so say the rumors, caused me to become popular by association.

It was always things, like "Hey, Charlotte, you know him? Introduce me, come on!", "Oh, Charlotte, you should come do something with me Friday.... And bring your smexy friend with you.", then they stopped using that tactic and started acting like we were close. "Come on, Charlotte, we're friends.", "Charlotte, you're my best friend, right?", and "Charlotte, wait up! I can't believe you'd forget about me. Hey, where's Ichiru?" The last one surprised me. I was incredibly confused. Until I went back to my dorm. Roren was sitting on my bed, asleep. He looked so peaceful...

So I got a bucket of ice water and threw it on him.

I wasn't thinking about the fact that it was my bed. It never even occurred to me that I would sleep tonight. But no matter what, I'll never regret it. Roren jumped up, swayed, then fell off the bed. I couldn't help myself, and I just started laughing. In five minutes, my laughter had begun to started dying down. Roren, who'd been trying to speak the whole time, took this moment where my laughter was slowed enough so I could understand him, but I was still laughing so I couldn't say anything back.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He yelled. I just started laughing my head off again.

"Shut the fuck up! Why the hell would you do that?!" I stopped laughing. I hate being yelled at, and he was really mad. It was a little scary, having a guy, who obviously was a bit strong, scream at you, cursing at you. I think I shrunk a little.

"I'm going to fucking screw you up now, got it?!?" Wind came in through the open window, and he shivered.

"Dammit..." He muttered.

Okay, I've never done well under pressure. Especially getting yelled at. In public I'm fine. But when I'm home and I get yelled at... I break down. I could feel my lower lip tremble, and my eyes watered. Staring at Roren, who had yet to be angry at me, I didn't know if he was serious or not. And I knew if we were in a fight, it'd be hard to finish. Even though I know a lot of different techniques on self-defense, I wasn't very strong. And somehow, just by looking at him, I knew Roren was much stronger than me. I bit the inside of my lower lip to keep from bursting into tears. He turned to me, and I looked away, so he couldn't tell I was about to cry. But he just yelled,

"You're going to look away when I'm fucking talking to y—" He cut off.

When he started to say it, he grabbed my head and turned it so I was facing him. I was still biting the inside of my mouth to control myself, but when he yelled tears streaked down my face. I was really crying, but tears were falling. He looked surprised. I knew I was flushed out of embarrassment now. Roren just look at me for a moment, then opened his mouth as if to say something. But it turned into a sigh. I wished he would turn into a cat so I could have a better understanding of what he was feeling, but all he did was sit there with a serious expression. I wanted to rub my face, drying the tears, but I knew that would make my eyes all red, and I didn't want that.

So instead I murmured, "I'm sorry," because Roren wasn't saying anything. I walked into the bathroom, grabbing my clothes as I went and changed into pajamas. I stayed in there for a while, looking at myself in the mirror until you couldn't tell I'd been almost-crying. When I walked out Roren was still sitting in the same spot. "Get up," I said, "I can take of the sheets and turn over the mattress to make it dry. But you need to—"

"I'm sorry."

"What?" I was genuinely surprised that Roren would apologize.

"I'm sorry, okay?" He was obviously embarrassed, because he was avoiding my eyes and he had his hand on his head. "I shouldn't have freaked out like that."

I knew I was starting to blush. He was sitting on the edge of my bed, soaked, and he looked embarrassed and... Well, he looked really cute. Or if you didn't look at the embarrassed part, and only the soaked-on-my-bed part, he looked pretty hot. I felt my face get even warmer as I thought about it. I turned away from him. He must have misunderstood.

"I'm sorry for everything, okay?" Now I could tell he was getting kind of frustrated. "I'm sorry I have to retain my humanity, I'm sorry you have an affinity for animals, I'm sorry I have to live with you. I'm sorry I dyed my hair, I'm sorry I messed up your life as a social outcast, okay?!" He was breathing hard.

"It's not that..." I wanted to explain why I'd looked away, but I didn't really want to tell him I was judging his good-looks. "I'm not mad."

Roren got up, grabbed my wrist, and started pulling me out the door. I was so shocked, I didn't even say anything until we got outside.

"Where are we going?" I asked, and he looked at me oddly.

"Your bed's soaking wet." He replied, never once stopping.

"Yeah, so where are we going?"

"Do you think I just walked into class? I had to go through entering the school first." I felt a little ashamed that I'd never even thought about that. Then it dawned on me.

"Wait, we're going to your dorm?"

"Yeah. I requested I have my own room because I didn't want my roommate bothered by fan girls. They understood. So we're going there tonight."

"Today," I corrected. We walked on in silence for a little while, then Roren asked,

"Do you like the color blue?" The question took me by surprise.

"Yeah."

"Good." That was all he said. I wondered what he would've said if I hadn't liked blue, if he would've dyed his hair black. Then I remembered.

"What's up with the name Ichiru?" This time he was surprised, I could tell.

"It's... Just what I made my name, that's all." He paused, then added, "You can still call me Roren though, I made it my middle name. I mean, if you want to." We arrived at the building, and Roren looked around. No one was there, so we ran in. Most people would be asleep by now, so it wasn't hard. He led me to his room, and I immediately thought of what people would think if they saw this. 'They would think I was a slut, sleeping with a guy I'd just met,' I thought. But I realized that if you took sleeping in a non-sexual way, I was doing that. I was so lost in thought that Roren had to remind me to walk in. It was a pretty cool room, I must admit. He had a really cool TV, and some video games, a typical guy room. But the thing that stood out the most to me was the huge telescope in the window. Roren must have seen me looking because he said, "I got that telescope when I was 7. I didn't know how to use it then, but I do now. I know most of the constellations, too."

I smiled. I don't know why, I guess it was because I knew more about Roren. I promised myself I wouldn't like him, but it wasn't quite ending up that way. I would have to start being a little more aware of him; I couldn't afford to like him. Suddenly I felt the energy I'd had seconds before disappear, and I began to breathe much more heavily from exhaustion. Roren noticed. I think he heard, the fact that he could turn into a cat probably sharpened his hearing. He walked over to me and gently led me to the bed. I remember laying down, and that's about it. I must have fallen asleep immediately. It had been a long day, but a good one. At least I would be able to tolerate Roren a little better. At least, that's what I hope.


	8. Chapter 6

I woke up in the middle of the night. Or day, however you want to put it. The only thing I missed was sleeping in the complete darkness, and Roren's room was just that. I think it's because of his affinity for shadows that he made his room completely free of any sunlight. It was okay, because I could see fairly well in the dark, being a fledgling, but it was nice to wake up in the darkness. He had huge drapes over the window. I wondered why he wouldn't just request tinted windows, then remembered the telescope.

'I'll have to get him to show me some constellations sometime...' I thought absentmindedly. I was about to turn over and go back to sleep, but I saw a black blob right next to me. I immediately recognized Roren's cat form. I knew that I should've been worried, being the fact that a guy in cat form was sleeping next to me, but since he was a cat he didn't seem like a threat. Instead, I automatically put out a hand to scratch his ears. Roren made a very cute cat. Then again, I think all cats are cute. He was the kind of cat that looked like even if he was a house cat, he'd still go out and catch his own food. Roren looked ready to take a challenge. If you can even tell that just by looking at a cat. I suddenly felt a little overwhelmed. 'This is my cat, a person is my cat.'

I looked at the clock. 3:00 PM, I'd barely been asleep for two hours. I inwardly groaned and started to get up, my head throbbing from lack of sleep. In cat form, Roren must've still had the cat trait of being a light sleeper, because he immediately lifted his cat head.

_Where exactly are you going?_

"Is it really any of you're business?" I replied.

_I'm your cat, I should get to know where you're going._

"Back to my dorm. If people wake up and I'm here, it's going to get both of us in trouble."

_No._ Somehow, I felt the force of his words. It scared me, I felt like he was twisting my heart to his will. I knew I visibly shivered, and the force I'd felt was gone instantly.

"What did you do?" I said, wide-eyed. I must have looked frightened, because I was.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, it's just so natural in the dark..." Without my noticing, he had become human again. However, I did notice he wasn't wearing a shirt. Roren was hot, I almost didn't want him to change into a vamp. Wait a minute... Not like I even have any say in anything in his life. It's not like I'm his girlfriend or anything... I'm not even a good friend. But then, he was my pet. Did that make me his... Master? I shook my head. 'I do not have the time to think perverted thoughts!' I reprimanded myself. And for that matter, thoughts that make me look like a spaz.

"Charlotte?" Roren sounded... I don't know how to put it. I want to say scared. Lost. Like I was going to be mad and storm out. My heart beat accelerated. It was then that I realized if any rumor about me being a slut came out, it would be completely true. Look at me, thinking perverted things about some guy I just met. In any case, I had to answer so he wouldn't try to apologize for something that I wasn't upset about.

"No, it— it's okay. Why do you want me to stay?" It was hard to see his expression, and I was stunned to figure out that he was hiding it with his affinity. I mean, there's no other way that I wouldn't be able to see his face, with my fledgling night-vision. Roren... I wonder why he wanted me to stay. If I told the truth, it would be that I liked Roren... 'No, I don't!' I told myself, but I found myself blushing. It just goes to show how traitorous the organ called the heart is.

"I don't want you to get caught, some people might still be up. I could make up an excuse for you." If it's anything like the one he was giving me, it wouldn't work no matter how dumb those people are. I wish I knew his real reason... Like maybe he liked me, or something. I scolded myself again for obsessing over some boy I just met. In any case, I now think of myself as a slut for thinking about one guy who I just met so much. Wait, with his affinity, could he read thoughts? I really wanted to say it out loud. Seeing as he was acting fairly normal, I would guess he couldn't. Thank Nyx.

"I'm leaving now. Don't worry, I won't get caught." I walked toward the door quickly, calling a bird to the dorm. I had a plan for if I got caught. Roren let me go, but I could feel his eyes on my back the whole time.

***

I woke up again at 7:00 PM. Better than before. I had gotten a total of four hours of sleep. Lovely. School started in an hour, but I didn't want to go. I would say I was sick, but then they would obsess over me, and everyone would freak that I would die. I silently asked Nyx to let me live, and hoped I didn't jinx myself. I heard a meow, and looked down. It wasn't Roren, and I felt a little relieved.

"Liana, it's nice to see you again."

_Yes, it's a joyous occasion. I came to see the outcast._

"Um." I shook my head. I couldn't be an idiot around a cat. "I don't know who you're talking about."

_You wouldn't. Your horse told most people not to tell you, because you would worry. Most animals, that is._ She looked at me. Y_ou know, most of our kind adore you. Anyway, I'm talking about Chiru. _

"I'm sorry, I really don't know who you are talking about. The only other person who would be here would be Roren." I then remembered he made his new name Ichiru.

_Roren, Chiru, whatever name he goes by now._

"Why is he an outcast?"

_He's only an outcast to some, don't worry. Some of the animals are mad that he wants to be human, that's all. It's an honor to be an animal, and he wants to throw it away._

"Why do you need to see him?"

_I need to ask him a few things._

"Oh, well, he's at his dorm."

_Very well. I will see you later on._

I watched Liana walk away from my dorm, wondering what would happen.


End file.
